Telephonic switching system with automatic port assignment capability and method

Abstract

An automatic port capability assignment system for assigning port capabilities to communication ports (20) of a telephonic switching system (10) with a switch (12) controlled by a central processing unit (14) having a memory (15) to interconnect an external network (16) of external telephonic units with interior telephonic units (18) respectively connected with communication ports (20) of the switch (12) and having various communications capabilities. The physical capabilities of an interior telephonic unit (18) connected to a port (20) are determined by a system administration unit (13) assigning a logical device type and a predetermined set of personal capabilities for the individual user. In response to receipt of a sign-in code of an individual user on an interior telephonic unit (18), the automatic port capability assignment system ascertains the personal capabilities permitted for the individual user. Port capabilities are assigned by the control processing unit (14) to communication ports (20) based on the ascertained personal capabilities and the determined physical capabilities of the interior communication unit (20) connected to the port (20).

We claim: 
     
       1. In a telephonic switching system having a switch controlled by a central processing unit to interconnect an external network of external telephonic units with a plurality of interior telephonic units of various capabilities respectively connectable with a plurality of communication ports of the switch, the improvement being an automatic port capability assignment system, comprising: means for determining the physical capabilities of an interior telephonic unit connected with at least some of the communication ports;   means responsive to receipt from the interior telephonic unit interconnected to one of said plurality of ports of a sign-in code identifying a user for ascertaining or predetermined set of authorized personal capabilities permitted for the individual user; and   means responsive to both the determining means and the ascertaining means for assigning port capabilities to a communication port.   
     
     
       2. The telephonic switching system of claim 1 in which the ascertaining means includes means for assigning to each user sign-in code authorization for use of at least one logical type of interior telephonic unit. 
     
     
       3. The telephonic switching system of claim 1 in which said ascertaining means includes means responsive to interconnection of an interior telephonic unit for establishing a default predetermined set of authorized personal capabilities permitted for use by all users when there is no receipt of a sign-in code. 
     
     
       4. The telephonic switching system of claim 3 in which said assigning means includes means for assigning all the default personal capabilities to a port which are also included in the physical capabilities determined for the interior telephonic unit connected to the port. 
     
     
       5. The telephonic switching system of claim 1 in which said assigning means includes means for assigning all the personal capabilities to a port which are ascertained from the sign-in code and included in the physical capabilities determined for the interior telephonic unit connected to the port. 
     
     
       6. The telephonic switching system of claim 1 in which said assigning means includes a capability handler for establishment of a series of actions for implementation of each capability that has been assigned to a port, and   means for actuating on every port the capability handlers of those capabilities which have been assigned to the port.   
     
     
       7. The telephonic switching system of claim 6 in which each of said capability handlers includes a state machine containing a code for the sequence of actions needed to be performed to implement the capability thereof. 
     
     
       8. The telephonic switching system of claim 6 in which said assigning means includes a logical device handler for determining the sequence in which a plurality of capability handlers assigned to a port can be activated. 
     
     
       9. The telephonic switching system of claim 8 in which a different logic device handler is provided for each logical device type selected for a port including at least one of the logical device types of agent, supervisor, maintenance, trunk, PBX phone, sender, receiver and announcements. 
     
     
       10. The telephonic switching system of claim 6 in which said assigning means includes a logical group handler for controlling the actuation of a plurality of logical device handlers. 
     
     
       11. The telephonic switching system of claim 1 in which for each capability assigned to the ports there is at least one interior telephonic unit determined to be a device type having said capability. 
     
     
       12. The telephonic switching system of claim 11 in which for some of the capabilities more than one logical device type is assigned by said assigning means. 
     
     
       13. The telephonic switching system of claim 11 in which there are capabilities shared by more than one type of interior telephonic unit. 
     
     
       14. The telephonic switching system of claim 11 in which said assigning means includes a logical device handler for determining the sequence in which a plurality of capability handlers assigned to a port can be actuated for each of said logical device types. 
     
     
       15. In a telephonic switching system having a switch controlled by a central processing unit to interconnect an external network of external telephonic units with a plurality of interior telephonic units respectively connectable with a plurality of communication ports of the switch, the improvement being an automatic port capability assignment system, comprising: means associated with at least one of the interior telephonic units for generating a user sign-in code from the port to which at least one of the interior telephonic units is connected; and   means responsive to receipt of different user sign-in codes from a port for enabling regular communication at the port and for assigning correspondingly different port capabilities to the port only when enabled.   
     
     
       16. The telephonic switching system of claim 15 including means responsive to at least some of the interior telephonic units connected to a port for determining the physical capabilities of the interior telephonic units. 
     
     
       17. The telephonic switching system of claim 16 in which said port capability assigning means includes means responsive to the determining means and the user sign-in code to assign port capabilities. 
     
     
       18. The telephonic switching system of claim 15 in which said sign-in code responsive means includes means for establishing default capabilities permitted for use by all users at a port regardless of their user sign-in code. 
     
     
       19. The telephonic switching system of claim 15 in which said assigning means includes a logical device handler for determining the sequence in which a plurality of capability handlers assigned to a port can be activated. 
     
     
       20. The telephonic switching system of claim 19 in which said assigning means includes a different logic device handler for each logical device type selected for a port including at least one of the logical device types of agent, supervisor, maintenance, trunk, PBX phone, sender, receiver and announcements. 
     
     
       21. In a telephonic switching system having a switch controlled by a central processing unit to interconnect an external network of external telephonic units with a plurality of interior telephonic units of different types having different associated capabilities respectively connectable with a plurality of communication ports of the switch, a method of automatically assigning different port capabilities to said plurality of communication ports, comprising the steps of: determining the type of interior telephonic unit connected with one of the communication ports;   ascertaining a preselected set of authorized personal capabilities for an individual user at the interior telephonic unit; and   assigning port capabilities to a communication port connected to the interior telephonic unit in response to both the determining means and the ascertaining means.   
     
     
       22. The method of claim 21 including the step of generating from an interior telephonic unit interconnected to one of said plurality of ports a sign-in code of an individual user at said one of said plurality of ports. 
     
     
       23. The method of claim 22 including the step of establishing default personal capabilities permitted for use by all individuals when there is no receipt of a sign-in code. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 21 in which said personal capabilities permitted for the user includes use of at least one interior telephonic unit of the plurality of different type units. 
     
     
       25. The method of claim 21 including the step of assigning all the default personal capabilities to a port which are also included in the physical capabilities determined for the interior telephonic unit connected to the port. 
     
     
       26. The method of claim 21 in which said step of assigning includes the step of assigning all the personal capabilities to a port which are ascertained from the sign-in code and included in the physical capabilities determined for the telephonic unit connected to the port. 
     
     
       27. The method of claim 21 in which said step of ascertaining includes the step of preassigning personal capabilities to at least one of the users. 
     
     
       28. The method of claim 21 in which said step of ascertaining includes the step of assigning the personal capability associated with at least one device type of telephonic unit. 
     
     
       29. In a telephonic switching system having a switch controlled by a central processing unit to interconnect an external network of external telephonic units with a plurality of interior telephonic units respectively connectable with a plurality of communication ports of the switch, a method of automatically assigning different port capabilities comprising the steps of: generating a user sign-in code from a port for enabling communication at the port to which said at least one interior telephonic unit is connected; and   automatically assigning different port capabilities to the port to which said at least one interior telephonic unit is connected only, when said communication is enabled in response to receipt of different corresponding user sign-in codes from the port.   
     
     
       30. The method of claim 29 including the step of determining the physical capabilities of the interior telephonic units connected to a corresponding port. 
     
     
       31. The method of claim 29 in which said step of assigning includes the step of assigning port capabilities based on both the physical capabilities determined for the telephonic unit connected to the port and the user sign-in code. 
     
     
       32. The method of claim 30 including the step of establishing selected default capabilities permitted for use by all users at a port regardless of their user sign-in code. 
     
     
       33. The method of claim 30 including the step of determining the sequence in which a plurality of capability handlers assigned to a port can be activated.